Category: Articles
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People in Context, Part I
Our efforts to understand and intervene in organizational events have a persistent bias: to interpret phenomena from a personal framework. In other words, situations…
How Learning Works
Recently, I had a long conversation with my fifteen-year-old daughter, Elise, about why she had to learn algebra. I had helped her with a…
Confessions of a Recovering Knower
Hi, my name is Brian and I am a recovering knower. But for the grace of God, and the disciplines of organizational learning, I…
Working in an Unhappy Place: Reengaging Disaffected Employees Through Conflict Resolution
Why can’t we all just get along?” asked Rodney King famously, echoing the sentiments of many of us who have at some point or…
Systems Thinking Concepts for Environmental Education
The goal of education for sustainability (EFS) is “to develop in young people and adults new knowledge and new ways of thinking needed to…
It’s Not a Behavioral Problem: It’s the System
Don’t ask systems thinkers for advice on managing performance or staff engagement. They will probably say something pretty fruity, and you’ll wind up frustrated…
Working in High-Leverage Zones with the Double-Loop Learning Matrix
T he Double-Loop Learning Matrix (adapted from the work of John J. Shibley) is a tool that teams can use for uncovering and articulating…
Minnesota Takes the Long View of Its Solid Waste System
In January 2000, Minnesota’s Office of Environmental Assistance (MN OEA) began to investigate creative solutions to the state’s growing problems with solid waste disposal.
Systems Archetypes As Structural Pattern Templates
Imagine you were suddenly struck with a strange illness that affected your vision. While you were still able to “see” everything around you, somehow…
The Common Flaw of All Problem-Solving Models
We suspect that every reader of this newsletter has been steeped in articles and classes on a myriad of problem-solving techniques. We have all…